Oh, bloody hell. What has Hermione gotten herself into this time? Well, OK, I knew this was going to happen. The signs were obvious, plus Malfoy actually confided in me that he wanted to go out with her. But... urgh. I guess I was a fool for thinking that my declaration of love would waver her stubborn mind. It didn't.

But it made me feel a little better that perhaps, had the circumstances been different - without stupid Malfoy meddling with her heart - then she might have felt the same way towards me. After all, all those times in the past when she'd acted with me as though she was more than a best friend (according to Ginny; personally, I didn't interpret those as signs of anything apart from her constant irritation with me).

Well, I might as well keep dreaming, but it's unlikely now that Hermione will ever become my girlfriend.

Sigh.

I trudge through the corridors with these sorry thoughts in my mind. For once I was glad Ginny and Harry were off somewhere (probably making out), so I could have some privacy without the sting of watching another couple showing their affection right in front of me. Not that they do it intentionally, but when you're with your boy/girlfriend you kinda can't help but exchange corny smiles and hold hands.

"God, why me?" I mumble to myself. First my best friend gets a girlfriend before me, now my other best friend rejected me for my worst enemy. This world is just crazy. Shaking my head forsakenly, I continue to wander around until someone runs past and knocks me on my shoulder hard. "Watch out!" I yell at the figure, glaring full-force at them. The surprised face of Blaise Zabini stares back at me.

There is silence for a few moments as each of us inspect the others' face. "Hmph. Weasley. Seems you've recovered well after that beating I gave you." I hear a little 'that's good' muttered under his breath, and my face grows pale. "Well, anytime you want another whipping, come back to me and I'll do it." He smirks at me in a Malfoy-like way and then leaves. I stand staring at his receding figure, thinking over his words and comparing them to what I've heard about him before.

Isn't Blaise gay or bisexual? My blood suddenly runs cold as I piece his words and that bit of information together.

'That's good'. He was glad I recovered from his beating. Well, that would be obvious, since we had fought quite a long time ago and I had been well-off enough to stagger back to the Gryffindor common room after the fight. And he certainly did NOT give me a beating - I was a fair challenge for him and we ended it in a draw. Yes. A draw. Ahem.

But what kind of guy gets into a fight with someone, and then is glad when they recover? Unless... Urgh. I don't even want to think about it.

Shuddering, I quickly stride back towards the common room to warm myself at the fire. Unfortunately, when I kick the 3rd year that was on the armchair closest to the blazing fireplace, not even a house elf's specially toasty fire could unfreeze my mind from the shock - the shock of the prospect that Blaise, the most famous bisexual in the school, could possibly be acting caring towards me.

YUCK!

"Ron, what are you doing, sitting here shivering?" Harry's inquisitive voice asks me.

I glance up quickly at him and smile blandly. "Er... nothing."

He sighs and runs a hand through his messy, jet black hair. "You're so easy to see through, you know. You really need to work on improving your lying skills. Ron, what is it? What's bothering you?" He attempts a joke. "Something happened between you and Hermione?"

Ouch. That struck a nerve. I sigh in a depressed way and nod. At least the memory of the rejection could maybe help cover up what happened with Blaise before. That is one memory that I do not want to keep in my mind. Not that I want to keep the image of Hermione's face when she told me she didn't feel the same way as I did in my head forever, but I have to prioritize. Personally, I'd rather have Hermione's face in my mind's eye forever than Blaise's.

Oh great. Now I just reminded myself again. "AGRAAAAAARGH!"

Harry takes a step back, startled. "R-Ron? What's wrong? Are you feeling OK?"

"No, I'm not OK!" I yell, earning stares from the whole common room. Quickly the younger students scurry away, and the older ones turn to watch the spectacle. "Harry... Hermione, she... oh, never mind."

"What happened to Hermione?" Harry asks. "Don't tell me she's being threatened by some Slytherin girl for being with Draco."

I sigh again. "Well... you know how I used to... well, like her?" By the amazed look on Harry's face, he didn't seem to have known. "Anyway," I continue quickly. "I kinda told her how I felt, but I didn't know she was already a couple with Malfoy. So I got turned down. Rejected. Whatever you like to call it."

He makes a strangled gasp. "Jeesh... Ron, if you felt that way you could have told me, and I would have subtly told her ages ago! Why did you have to wait until this year after Malfoy turned a bit more civil and Dumbledore introduced the Gryffindor-Slytherin Prefect duty pairs? You know how they both have strong personalities, and wherever they go they clash horribly. Not all of that clashing results in hate."

I stare at him. "Did Ginny tell you this?"

"Um... actually, yes." He gives me a sheepish grin and I feel a little better. Looks like Harry is no better at analyzing Hermione's feelings and thoughts than I was. Although I have to admit, Ginny was right - Hermione and Draco Malfoy had been bitter enemies for ages, and both indeed had dominating personalities, although in different ways. She was a more quiet, caculating and authoritive figure; Malfoy was commanding, cold and very upfront. I still don't understand how those two managed to become an item, but I guess it's true that opposites attract.

Just then, Ginny sprints down the steps to the girl's dorms and gives Harry a big hug from behind. "Harry! Good, you're here. I couldn't find you after dinner. Do you want to go to the library to finish some homework?"

"You two, get a room. Honestly." I roll my eyes playfully, though the sight still twinges a small part of my heart. Must be heartburn, I tell myself firmly.

She pokes her tongue out at me, and frowns. "Hey... Ron, I could have sworn that you had Prefect duties tonight. Something about supervising a detention?"

Shit! I totally forgot about it. If I'm late again, McGonagall will seriously kill me. "-Bleeep-"

"Mind your language! There're a couple of first years here, you know." Ginny shakes her head at me. "Ron, you're so hopeless. If you don't get your act together, Harry might be replacing you as Prefect." She coos at him, smiling.

I scowl at her. "That's my business. Thanks for reminding me, though. See you later, Harry."

Rushing as fast as I can, through the portrait-hole, past many classrooms and nearly falling off a staircase when it made up its mind to shift itself, I finally arrive at the doorway of McGonagall's Transfiguration room. She gives me a disapproving glare but doesn't say anything about my late appearance. I turn my head and groan. Of course. Hermione'd had Prefect duties with Malfoy earlier, so to preserve the balance of how often each Prefect did duties, I would be forced to pair with the other Slytherin Prefect - none other than Pansy Parkinson.

She flutters her long, black lashes at me and flicks back her hair. "Hi, Ron. We're going to oversee a detention today! Isn't that just lovely?"

To be honest, I don't find anything lovely about that. Stuck in a classroom with a bunch of rowdy teenagers, and with the girl who practically broke my back with her 'massage' when she tried it on me before, isn't my idea of perfect night of duties. But I put on a forced smile for sake of appearance in front of the Professor, and sit down as far from her as I can. McGonagall raises an eyebrow at my behavior but continues outlining our duty. "Mr Weasley and Miss Parkinson, tonight you will be on your best behavior. The students in detention will not benefit if you slack off on duty and do not oversee them properly. Furthermore, if you do not do a good enough job - we will be able to see what you are doing at anytime with Professor Dumbledore's Seeing Orb - we may have to strip you of your authority as one of the Prefects."

She pauses to give us both a terse look. "You will be in charge of a class of 3rd years, so they shouldn't be too much trouble. Remember - no spells allowed, no talking if possible, and make sure nobody takes in or uses an automatic quill for their lines."

I nod, and Pansy does the same with an unusually serious look on her face. I have to admit, she's pretty, but after what she did to me I would be insane to consider her as a possible girlfriend.

You know, you're trying pretty hard to forget about Hermione, a snarky little voice says in my head. I growl unconsciously at it, and McGonagall's eagle gaze instantly turns to me. "You have a problem, Mr Weasley? Perhaps you could enlighten us as to what you object to."

"N-no, it's nothing," I splutter. "I was just scaring away a mosquito."

"Oh, Ron," Pansy giggles. "You don't growl sexily at a mosquito to scare it away! You wave your hands around." I nearly gag at the 'growl sexily' part, but keep my face as straight as I can.

Professor McGonagall clears her throat. "Well, that is all I have to instruct you. The detention room is on the next floor, in the room with a Christmas wreath hanging on the door."

"It's not Christmas yet," Pansy says, confused.

The woman turns to her, smiling slightly. "No, it isn't. The wreath was from last year. Nobody quite got around to taking it down. And it serves as a mark for that classroom, I suppose. Now, off you go. I expect to see a orderly class when I look in the Seeing Orb later." She claps her hands to dismiss us.

Pansy and I head out the door and I walk a few paces in front of her. "Aww, Ron! Don't leave me, I hate being alone."

"Well, you can probably stand loneliness for as long as we get to the next floor, can't you?" I say back, emotionless. I don't want to sound too angry or she might attack me. After all, this corridor is pretty empty.

"Roooon! Wait up!" she wails, obviously not listening to a word I say. She runs up to me, her high heels clacking on the ground, and clings onto my arm. "Please wait."

I sigh. "Alright. Hurry up then. We don't want to be still wandering around when McGonagall checks up on us, do we?" She shakes her head quickly and is soon dragging me along as she sprints along the corridors, up the steps and around the corners with amazing speed. "Ow! My arm! Pansy, stop running so fast!"

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" she squeaks, and rubs my arm. "Would you like me to massage it, honey?"

"No!" I snatch my arm back, a frightened expression on my face, and move a metre away from her. "I mean, I'm fine," I add when I see her hurt expression.

Pansy lowers her eyes. "I'm sorry. I hurt you last time with my over-enthusiastic massaging, didn't I? Draco scolded me about it, after your friend Hermione came up and yelled at him about it. It's all my fault... now Draco-poo hates me." She sniffs, then tears start dripping down her face and splatter at her feet.

I start to panic. Oh no. A girl is crying right in front of me. What do I do? What do I do? Do I smack her and tell her to stop blubbering, or do I do what those romantic Muggle movies show and let her nestle into my arms? Well, that's what Harry and Hermione told me, anyway. I haven't seen any of those movies myself, I assure you. I'm not that corny.

Honestly, I'm not!

"Er... um... Pansy... it's OK. I'm sure, uh, Draco-poo doesn't hate you. He's just annoyed. Anyway, Hermione's a very scary person when she'd mad, so it's no wonder he yelled at you after she yelled at him." I pat her on the shoulder awkwardly.

She sniffles and raises her head. "Really? You think so?" She thinks for a moment. "Hmmm... true, Hermione Granger is going out with him, so maybe he told me off because he felt guilty about me hurting one of her friends."

Malfoy, guilty? Impossible. But he did probably scold Pansy because he already liked Hermione back then, and wanted to seem heroic in front of her. So back then their strange relationship had, really, already started. God... how could I have been so blind? Well, nothing to do now except just to get over it.

"Yeah, maybe," I tell her absently.

A few moments later, we stand in front of the classroom with the Christmas wreath on the door. Inside, I can barely glimpse a noisy class, with random black shapes jumping and running around. Pansy and I exchange dreading glances before pushing the door open. "OK kids, BE QUIET!" I shout in my most commanding Prefect voice. I expect that the whole class will shut up.

Nothing happens. The 3rd years continue screaming and laughing. I turn to Pansy helplessly.

She grins at me. "Watch this," she says. Unbuttoning the top two buttons of her blouse and therefore showing off her black lace bra and cleavage, she bends over the desk and says, in a very provocative voice, "Ooh boys and girls! Come on, back to your seats before I get angry." She pouts for effect and giggles.

Immediately half the class (namely, the boys) start drooling over their desks. The girls glare at Pansy, and then at them, but reluctantly do as they are told now that half of their force is paralyzed with love. "Oh, honestly. These boys are pathetic." One girl mutters.

"I know! Haven't they ever seen a D-cup sized cleavage before?"

"The way they're staring, I doubt they've ever seen any real ones apart from porn magazines."

"Hahah... not so loud, those Prefects might dock points. Who knows how sensitive that girl is about her boobs?"

"Obviously not sensitive enough to keep her blouse buttoned..."

I clear my throat loudly, making sure to cast the magnifying-voice spell that I'd seen Ludo Bagman perform on himself at the Quidditch world cup a few years back. The noise echos around the classroom, and snaps the male students out of their reverie. Pansy rebuttons her top and adjusts her Prefect tie, making herself seem as tidy as someone like Hermione, who likes to wear her tie everyday just to show her status. Lately she's eased off a bit on that habit, but she still puts it on more than necessary. "Alright. Today Pansy-" I nod at her - "-and I are going to supervise this detention. Remember, just because we're 6th years doesn't mean that we don't have most of the authority of the staff.

"We can take off points from your houses just as easily as a teacher, and we can also add house points if your behavior is good enough. Failure to obey us may, and probably will, result in another detention." I sigh to myself in relief as I conclude my 'Prefect speech', the speech that all of us Prefects have to memorize and say to an audience when an occasion like this arises. I nudge Pansy, who lifts her head quickly and glances at me. "Next part," I hiss out of the corner of my mouth. "Go!"

She nods. "We expect your behavior tonight to be as if we were your most strict teachers. You wouldn't yell or run around during one of their classes, so neither should you here. Of course, you're allowed to talk, but try to keep your voices to a whisper or we will be forced to cast a charm on you to shut you up."

I smother a laugh. The last bit wasn't part of the actual speech, but it was a good touch that would definitely make the 3rd years do as we say. Muahahahhah! And if they don't, they'll be in for a rough night in the Hospital Wing.

A girl with red ribbons in her hair raises her hand boldly. "Yes?" I say, snapping out of my cruel daydream. "You have a question?"

"Well... it's not a question exactly, but... can we play spin the bottle with you two? We've kinda been here for a few hours already, and it's getting boring." She smirks in a very familiar way, and I am again unpleasantly reminded of Malfoy. The rest of the class shouts out their agreement and I raise my wand threateningly. They immediately stop.

Pansy raises an eyebrow. "Spin the bottle? This is a detention, you know." She looks at me with a hint of pleadingness in her eyes. Of course, Pansy Parkinson is the one girl whose favorite game just happens to be spin the bottle. I sigh and roll my eyes. Would a game of that take my mind of Hermione and Malfoy, and also the strange encounter with Blaise this morning?

But then there's also the fact that McGonagall was spying on us from the orb. "Better not, or we'll get caught," I say in a low voice. "I'd rather pass on a game of spin the bottle with a bunch of 3rd years than get caught and be stripped of our Prefect title."

She sighs. "You're right. Oh well... too bad Draco-poo isn't here, he'd have agreed in a second."

I grit my teeth. "If you're trying to compare me to him and making me feel inferior, it's not going to work." After all, Malfoy was the Sex King of the whole school, and spin the bottle was nothing to him. However, it wasn't nothing for me to kiss a random girl that I didn't know - I had more integrity than that.

"Awww! I was hoping I'd throw you off so that you would relent. Too bad. I wouldn't have minded kissing you, you know." She winks at me and starts humming as she tells the girl that, unfortunately, as much as she'd like to play it, McGonagall was keeping an eye on them and if she caught them, they would be in deep shit. I stare at her, open mouthed. Did I hear correctly? She wanted to kiss me? My eyes bug out and I hear a few people snickering behind me. I ignore them, too caught up in my surprise to notice.

The ribboned girl shrugs nonchalantly, her face blank if not a little disappointed, without a trace of a blush of embarrassment. God. Kids these days. So... forward, I guess would be the word. I decide not to take Pansy too seriously, with her reputation to flirt with every decent-looking guy she came across. But that would mean she thinks I am decent-looking. A little part of me cackles gleefully, while the rest of me tries to stay modest and dismiss the thoughts that are dive-bombing into my mind.

The detention is passed quietly, almost too quietly. I keep snatching suspicious glances at the students, unable to believe that such a rowdy class has quietened down so easily, just because we didn't let them play a game they wanted and showed a little authority. Maybe they are afraid of being seen by Professor McGonagall. After all, there's always a chance they could be expelled if their school records were bad enough.

At 9pm, I clap my hands to get the class's attention. "OK, people. Time to go back to your dorms. Great behavior from all of you today - try not to get into detention next time, OK?"

There is a bit of whispering and chattering, and random glances from the 3rd years. Pansy yawns and heads out the door first. "Come on, Ronald, let's go. Don't want to stay here any longer than necessary, right?" I grimace at the 'Ronald' but nod in agreement. A large gaggle of the class gather behind me - I don't know why, since the detention has already ended and we're all out the door, meaning they're free to go. Maybe they like us too much to leave us. Har har. Since when did I become a 3rd-year magnet?

Suddenly, I am pushed forward towards Pansy as somebody giggles loudly behind me. "AHHHHHHH!" I scream as I fall right into her shoulder. The last thing I see is her amazed face before my own is smushed into her chest. "GRAHHHHHHHHH!" I continue yelling, though now my voice is muffled due to the obstacle in my face. I crawl up from where we fell and turn on the 13-year-olds, face beet red and wand raised. They screech and laugh, and run away like little garden gnomes.

"OMG, did you see his face?"

"That was priceless!"

"... it's what he gets for making us do absolutely nothing for so long."

"Hahahaha!"

I boil in anger, my face a deep shade of fire-engine red. Pansy has just climbed back onto her feet, looking dazed. I turn back to her. "Look, Pansy... I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to do that - those bloody kids pushed me."

"Oh, Ron! You're so forward," she titters, batting her lashes at me. "You definitely deserve another of my massages!" She giggles and latches onto my arm again, though not before planting a kiss on my ear. "Oh, your face is so hot... let's get you into bed, shall we?" Giggling a second time, she pulls me along the corridor, to who knows where. I try to free myself but her grip is like iron.

No! I must get back to the Gryffindor common room somehow. But how? I can't even get away from her. Pansy's strength is amazing for a girl.

I knew I should have told McGonagall I was sick tonight.